In 2021, Tahirih Atlanta:

• Conducted local training sessions that reached 186 community members.
• Expanded our partnership with the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants for our Trafficking Victim Assistance Program so we can provide financial support to trafficking survivors in Georgia.
• Partnered with the Georgia State University School of Social Work to establish an internship program that helps students seeking a master’s degree in social work gain skills and expand their knowledge of client-centered, community-empowering practices of radical and ethical case management.
• Expanded our legal services department’s capacity to offer immigration expertise to families when Nowmee Shehab changed position from Law Clerk to Staff Attorney after passing the bar exam.
• Welcomed two new team members: Executive Director Vanessa Wilkins, who brings extensive leadership as well as capacity-building experience working with survivors in Georgia; and Social Services Advocate Dulce Jacobo, whose background in holistic case management will enable us to continue providing targeted and skilled support to families.

In 2021, Tahirih Greater DC-Baltimore Region:

• Pivoted to regional coverage and delivered services to individuals across a service area of about 112 miles and 22 jurisdictions.
• Distributed nearly $17,000 in financial assistance to clients to help them with basic needs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Trained professionals across disciplines such as domestic violence advocates, pro bono attorneys, and graduate students on legal remedies and policy updates, as well as on how to provide culturally specific, trauma-informed care to immigrant survivors of gender-based violence.
• Hosted the first quarterly Pro Bono Coffee Hour to engage with the Pro Bono Network about efficiencies and needs.

In 2021, Tahirih Houston:

• Implemented our first Kitchen Table Conversations cohort, which invests in survivors as change agents and has built a community and collective power.
• Published two reports (researched by Weil Legal Innovator Julia Bevan) on the pandemic’s impacts on non-detained immigrants currently in the immigration court system and the effect of the pandemic on immigration detention.
• Developed a model U visa certification policy, in coalition with Harris County, to guide our region’s law enforcement agencies to expand access to the law enforcement certification survivors need to access immigration protection, with a focus on ensuring survivors receive trauma-informed support that centers their safety and rights.
• Secured $58,000 for survivors of gender-based violence after winter storm Uri devastated the Houston area, as well as an additional $23,000 in COVID-19 disaster relief funding.
• Expanded our work in surrounding counties, including Montgomery and Fort Bend, to ensure more individuals seeking assistance have access to trauma-informed, client-centered services.
• Welcomed three new staff members: Executive Director Lubabah Abdullah, who brings more than 20 years of nonprofit experience and more than 15 years of legal experience; Amanda Hua, Development Associate, who will lead the efforts for mid-level giving and start a young professionals group; and our second Weil Legal Innovator, Sofia Barbosa, who will help us increase access to health care for survivors and their families.

In 2021, Tahirih San Francisco Bay Area:

• Expanded our impact by formally joining the Collaborative Resources for Immigrant Services on the Peninsula (CRISP), a project in which a group of community-based organizations provide legal and social services.
• Organized and coordinated outreach events and legal clinics for more than 800 community members, pro bono attorneys, lawyers, social services and mental health professionals, and medical students.
• Distributed more than $35,000 in financial assistance to clients to help them with basic needs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Spearheaded client-centered Tech Access Projects under the leadership of Tahirih San Francisco Bay Area’s Weil Legal Innovator, Zoe Verni, including Google Maps resource lists, a direct cash transfer pilot program in collaboration with My New Red Shoes, and short “Tech 101” educational videos for clients, pro bono attorneys, and other service providers around the country.
• Welcomed two Staff Attorneys, Meghan Berman and Natasha Prince; Managing Attorney Payal Sinha; and Social Worker Valeria Monroy to assist with client needs, enhance our interdisciplinary practices, and provide holistic, trauma-informed client services.